Learning Entry Blog - Open Source Software

Open source software's definition according to Wikipedia is computer software for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that meets the Open Source Definition or that is in the public domain. Many people are joining the band wagon and using different open source software programs. These programs can range from anything from gimp, which is like photoshop, to audacity which is like garage band but for any type of computer not just Mac. A large benefit to these programs which are very similar to the commercial programs is that you don't have to spend the outrageous sums of money and you can edit the applications to your own liking. Open Source Software can be viewed both as a good thing and a bad thing. However, there are advantages to having the actual software is that they are reliable, updates are most likely guaranteed, and support for questions is readily available. Sometimes it could be better to just by the actual software because it is more likely that a person can "hack" into your files and plant viruses due to the fact that it is all online based.
The open source software movement is moving the "computer generation" in a better direction. This could help decrease the price of some of the commercial software and even make some of it free. It also may help different computer manufacturers to back some of the applications that are offered online.

Open source software can be beneficial to any organization with many computers and workers. There is most likely a discount for corporations and organizations that buy the commercial software but to save money is advantageous. The use the open source software applications allows the employees to use the software whenever and wherever they need to, not just with their work computers. Sport management is one of the fields of studies that can benefit from these "free" softwares. Gimp, the photoshop equivalent, is just one example of the applications that can be used in the field. This tool can be used to manipulate images and promote events.

Tux Paint is an open source software that is specially made for children. It allows them to express themselves with making their own drawings. This application is a drawing program for young children with sound effects, cartoon characters, and fun rubber stamp and stickerbook pictures.

Learning Entry Blog- Blogging

Blogs are becoming more and more popular by many people everyday. I remember not even three years ago, I didn't know what a blog was; and now I have one! Blogs are defined by Wikipedia as "a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video." Blogs are used by all typed of people, from celebrities to pro football players and even to the everyday working class citizen. They are often times used to display videos that can often time entertain its viewers and even to explain and show a persons beliefs and values. There are many commercials with blogs mentioned in them about politics and even gaming. Viewers are many times able to comment on the different entries in the blogs, much like a picture on Facebook or an update on Twitter. Blogs are interactive and direct way to connect with people that you may not otherwise. It is a way to show your opinion, its a website that you maintain, its a website according to how you want it. Blogs are all about you, the creator and blogger.

Blogging can be very beneficial to a person in the sport management field. They can be used to depict what an event will consist of and get feedback from the participants and those who visit the blog! It can also be used to get different ideas about different event. If a different blog was created for each event those who visit the blog could comment with what they would like to see and/or have happen at the event. Many different aspects of all internet use can be applied to sport management considering it contributes about $240 million to the industry.

Below is a YouTube video by Common Craft: Blogs in Plain English. This shows what a blog is, how it works and what its good for. Its a very simplistic video that is in common language so it is easily understandable. Enjoy!




Below is a picture with works describing what a blog it used for. It has many words that are usually used when describing a blog. The picture is from a website called blogs.worldbank.org. Click here to check out this blog first hand.

Learning Entry Blog- Wikis

Wikis are a great way to organize trip and stay in touch with people. Essentially they allow any and all users to create and edit Web page content at their own leisure. Wikis are easily used by many people and are frequently used to post crosslinks between pages. According to wiki.org the concept of " 'open editing' has some profound and subtle effects on Wiki usage. Allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site is exciting in that it encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by nontechnical users." There have been many advances to help users understand wikis including many YouTube videos that explain how to use them to people who are not technologically advanced. One of the most popular wikis is Wikipedia. This website is often times used for research, it can be edited by its users to deepen the amount of information.

This aspect of the world wide web can be greatly used in my field of study to link spectators and participants to important information and other sites. With the knowledge of wikis and the "Plain English" videos presented by Common Craft events can be run smoothly and everyone can receive great knowledge about the event(s). Sport Management is a field with many events and particants and spectators; making everything run smoothly is a "prized possession." Even if not used by participants and spectators wikis could help within organizations. Having a wikis within an organization would help the organization of the event so everyone knows what is going on at all times instead of just one person at a time, and also allows each user to edit and change the ideas.

The following is a video from YouTube, about a commonly used website to create wikis and what they are all about! The video is by common craft and is the same format as that of the "Plain English" videos. It shows you how to create your own wiki. ENJOY!!!!